WASHINGTON – As she stood at the Supreme Court on Thursday, Diane Russell had a message for GOP Sen. Susan Collins, whose vote could determine nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s fate.

“If she turns on women, Maine women will turn on her,” said Russell, a former Maine lawmaker.

Russell was one of about 20 protesters from Maine who traveled to the nation's capital to join hundreds of other protesters for a rally that could be a last gasp push against Kavanaugh's proposed ascension to the nation's highest court. The group repeatedly chanted: “Susan Collins, we are your voters, Susan Collins, we are your voters!”

The protesters, who marched from the federal courthouse to the Supreme Court to the Senate, were hoping to sway a handful of lawmakers considered swing votes in determining the fate of Kavanaugh.

After their demonstration at the Supreme Court, protesters swarmed the Hart Senate Office Building atrium ahead of a “direct action” – an act of nonviolent resistance where protesters anticipate being arrested.

As they began sitting on the floor of the atrium, police quickly ringed the group, issuing warnings before leading individual protesters away in plastic handcuffs.

Capitol Police said a total of 302 were arrested and charged with unlawfully demonstrating, 293 of them in the atrium and the rest in the fourth floor of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Also at the Hart Building, a group that traveled from Alaska hoping to talk to GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski had strong words for her.

“I think it will be such an egregious betrayal that none of us here will vote for her,” Erica Kahill said, imagining what would happen if Murkowski votes yes on Kavanaugh's nomination. “I feel like she is normally an advocate for women ...This would change my mind.”

A California professor, Christine Blasey Ford, has accused the judge of sexually assaulting her at a high school party 36 years ago, a claim Kavanaugh denies. The drama has captivated – and polarized – the nation since both Ford and Kavanaugh testified a week ago before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

An initial vote of the full Senate on the nomination is scheduled for Friday, and a final vote could come over the weekend. Lawmakers received the FBI report on allegations of sexual assault against the federal judge Thursday. Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said it reflects "no hint of misconduct."

Protesters at the rally in D.C., one of several across the nation Thursday, were diverse: people of all races and ages, from grandmothers to children in strollers. The majority were women, but there were plenty of men. Many chanted “We believe survivors!” and “Whose court? Our court!” as one man pounded a drum in rhythm with the chants.

Barbara Smith got her start in protesting during the Vietnam War. On Thursday she was back at it, among the first to arrive at the rally in D.C.

“It’s unreal that those of us of a certain generation have to do this again,” said Smith, 67, of Richmond, Virginia, as she waved a sign that included photos of her grandchildren. "My job as a grandmother is to do what I can to make sure that they’re going to be safe and that they’ll never have to say ‘Me Too.'"

Smith, who spent 40 years as a therapist working with trauma victims, said she wasn’t surprised when she heard President Donald Trump mocking Ford. “Victim shaming has been going on for a very long time,” she said.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts and hero of the progressive left, drew a roar from the crowd when she took the microphone on a hot sunny day in the nation's capital.

“I watched that hearing last Thursday and I believe Dr. Ford,” Warren said. “This is about power. I watched 11 men, powerful men, who tried to help another powerful man make it to an even more powerful position. I am angry on behalf of women who have been told to shut up and sit down one time too many.”

A supporter of Brett Kavanaugh is drowned out by people at a march in the nation's capital on Oct. 4, 2018.(Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)

Protester Jolie Timm, 70, echoed Warren's refrain. Timm said the hardest part of watching the hearing was seeing the women who support Kavanaugh, including his wife, Ashley.

“I looked at the people behind him and it made me cry,” said Timm, 70, of Gold Beach, Oregon. “It’s so sad that people that I relate to can believe in something and someone that is so hurtful.”

Opponents of Kavanaugh remained energized. Planned Parenthood said its youth groups on at least 18 college campuses in at least 12 states were mobilizing resistance events.

“Young people are taking action across the country because they stand with survivors of sexual assault," spokesman Nick Savelli said. "And they know Brett Kavanaugh is in a position to determine the health and constitutional rights of generations to come."

A group called International Women's Strike is urging people across Portland, Ore., to walk out at 4 p.m. In Washington, protesters geared up for a day of action.

Smith and Timm were among hundreds gathering at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, D.C., where Kavanaugh currently sits as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

"We’re marching from Kavanaugh’s current courthouse to the one he hopes to ascend to," the Women's March tweeted. "We’ll do everything we can to make sure he doesn’t get there."

Angela Trzepkowski, 55, of Middleton, Delaware, was among the first to arrive

“I don’t believe he’s told the truth,” Trzepkowski said. “I believe it’s the good old boy network covering for each other and watching each other’s backs. And I’m ashamed that our country has to go through this because of poor vetting and women’s fear to speak out when assault has happened.”

Organized by groups such as the Women's March, Demand Justice and the American Civil Liberties Union, the protest is the latest in a string of demonstrations against Kavanaugh. Last Thursday and Friday, more than a hundred protesters were arrested in and around the Capitol as the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and markup session took place.

“Growing up a man, you don’t see the other side,” he said. “You don’t see that it’s unsafe to walk out by yourself after dark. You don’t see how many people raise their hand when they ask if you’ve been sexually assaulted. It's so sad."

Jessica Campbell-Swanson, from Denver, sits in the lap of the Contemplation of Justice statue as activists protest on the steps of the Supreme Court after the confirmation vote of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, on Capitol Hill, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 in Washington. Alex Brandon, AP

Capitol police detain protestors who occupied the steps of the U.S. Capitol before the Senate votes on the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in Washington, Oct. 6, 2018. ERIK S. LESSER, EPA-EFE

Activists demonstrate in the plaza of the East Front of the U.S. Capitol to protest the confirmation vote of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 in Washington. Alex Brandon, AP

Crowds of activists are arrested after they rushed past barriers and protested from the steps of the Capitol before the confirmation vote on President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. J. Scott Applewhite, AP

Demonstrators from Washington-area law schools -- including Georgetown, George Washington, Howard, The District of Columbia and Catholic universities -- march on the U.S. Capitol East Lawn to protest against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh Oct. 06, 2018, in Washington. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Demonstrators from Washington-area law schools -- including Georgetown, George Washington, Howard, The District of Columbia and Catholic universities -- march on the U.S. Capitol East Lawn to protest against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh Oct. 06, 2018, in Washington. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

A Howard University law student waits for fellow demonstrators from Washington-area law schools -- including Georgetown, George Washington, Howard, The District of Columbia and Catholic universities -- for a rally on the U.S. Capitol East Lawn to protest against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh Oct. 06, 2018, in Washington. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

An anti Kavanaugh protester gets her face painted with the word "liar" on Capitol Hill on October 05, 2018. - The US Senate girded Friday for a critical, too- close-to-call vote on moving ahead with the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, as Republicans brushed aside complaints by Democrats that an FBI probe of sexual assault allegations against him was rushed and incomplete. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

Protesters against US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh are arrested after blocking the office of Senator Jeff Flakes, (R-Ariz.) in Washington, DC. The US Senate on Friday approved with a 51-49 vote moving to a final vote on President Donald Trump's embattled Supreme Court pick amid continuing controversy over sexual abuse allegations against him. JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AFP/Getty Images

Comedian Amy Schumer gestures after getting detained along with hundreds of other protestors against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington. ERIK S. LESSER, EPA-EFE

Hundreds of protesters are arrested by U.S. Capitol Police for demonstrating against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Protesters chant their support for fellow demonstrators who are being arrested by U.S. Capitol Police for protesting against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Ana Maria Archila, one of the two women who confronted Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, speaks at the protest against Brett Kavanaugh in front of the United States Supreme Court, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Protesters are arrested as they sit and block the 2nd floor Dirksen Senate Office Building hallway on the same floor of the Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Brett Kavanaugh for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Friday. Jack Gruber/USA TODAY

Protesters sit and block the Dirksen Senate Office Building 2nd floor hallway on Sept. 28, 2018, protesting against the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh as an Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court. JACK GRUBER/USA TODAY

Ana Maria Archila, a survivor of a sexual assault, right, confronts Republican Senator from Arizona Jeff Flake in an elevator after Flake announced that he vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, on Friday. JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE

Ana Maria Archila, right confronted Republican Senator from Arizona Jeff Flake (in an elevator after Flake announced that he vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in the Russell Senate Office Building. Another woman, not seen said to Senator Flake 'Look at me when I'm talking to you. You are telling me that my assault doesn't matter.' JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE

Protesters march from the U.S. Capitol to the Supreme Court while Christine Blasey Ford testifies in front of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Sept. 27, 2018, in Washington. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Supporters of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh along with supporters of Christine Blasey Ford gather in the Hart Senate Office Building while Ford testifies in front of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Sept. 27, 2018 in Washington. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

A small group gathers in downtown Detroit to protest the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018. Melanie Maxwell, Detroit Free Press via USA TODAY Network

Protesters in the Hart Senate Office Building as Christine Blasey Ford testifies in front of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on Sept. 27, 2018 in Washington. Ford alleges that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982, while they were both prep school students. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Protestors gather in the Hart Senate Office Building on Sept. 27, 2018 in Washington, DC, in support of Christine Blasey Ford, who is testifying against Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. AFP/Getty Images